Britain's best ice cream parlours

A heatwave is upon us and what better time to experiment with the new trend in ice cream - scoops of deliciousness made from waste!

We are, of course, talking about food waste. Artisanal ice cream makers up and down the country are managing to come up with ever-more imaginative flavours ("mojito" or “birthday cake” anyone?) while at the same time cutting costs and helping the planet by recycling food leftovers from nearby delis, cafes and restaurants.

As if you needed another excuse to grab yourself a double cone this weekend. Below our experts round up their favourite ice cream parlours in Britain.

SOUTH-WEST

Minghella’s, Isle of Wight

This family business has been producing ice cream on the Isle of Wight for 60 years, and now manufactures 200 flavours, including panna cotta with caramel sauce, sweet chunky cherry, and, more esoterically, absinthe sorbet. You can visit the factory, where you might find limited edition and unusual ice creams for sale

Roskilly's ice cream is made using Jersey milk from the farm's own 125 cows; even the company's fudge and toffee is made by condensing the milk so that no skimmed powder or cream need be brought it externally. There is an ice cream parlour on the farm that serves sundaes with names such as "Minty Moo" and "Tropical Gala".

Treleavens has produced ice cream using traditional methods in Cornwall for the past 15 years: ingredients include milk from Trewithen Dairy near Lostwithiel, Tamar Fruits for berries and more for churning into and topping ice cream, and Bay Tree Candies for fudge pips and honeycomb. Flavours include After Eight, gooseberry fool, and classic Cornish vanilla.

Mr B’s has retro ice cream vans, uses Italian ingredients and offers hand-made wafers. Its range of flavours is sure to excite even the most adventurous palates, with everything from Jaffa Cake to Turkish Delight and Mint Aero. The "Mario" flavour - complete with figurine of the cartoon character, is made up of two flavours: squishy - tropical vanilla - and squashy - gummy sweet flavour. It's not always available, so best ordered in advance.

You’ll need to keep your eyes peeled for Otter Valley Dairy – it’s more of a roadside pit stop than an ice-cream parlour. Tucked into the slope of a lovely Devon valley, four generations of one farming family serve up some of the best ice cream I’ve tried outside Italy. The summerhouse, where you make your purchases, overlooks Otter Valley outside the village of Monkton on the A303. Picnic tables are set out so you can watch the wandering cows that helped contribute to your ample scoop. The flavours are imaginative but luscious – from ginger and butternut squash to sea buckthorn. Weekly specials, sorbets and frozen yogurts are available, too.

SOUTH-EAST

Marrocco’s, Hove

This Italian restaurant has been making ice cream since 1969, and the range now comprises of 24 flavours, including yoghurt and blue bubble gum. There is also a range of ice-cream sundaes, including the "Marrocco's Gondola": three scoops of ice-cream, your choice of sauces and dips, and whipped cream. Marrocco's ice cream comes with a so-good-you-may-have-to-queue warning.

Address: 8 Kings Esplanade, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 2WS Contact: 01273 203764; marroccos.co.ukWhat to do nearby: Louise Roddon, our Brighton expert, offers a guide to what to do in Brighton and HoveWhere to stay nearby: Hotel Una, in Brighton, occupies two Regency town houses on the east side of Regency Square and offers an extensive breakfast menu, including smoked salmon and eggs Benedict. Read the full review here

Boho Gelato, Brighton

Cute Boho Gelato, close to the seafront, has fantastical options ranging from granny’s favourite, Battenburg, to mojito and apple. It also has a strong ethical stance and works with Fareshare, a food waste redistribution charity. Fareshare gives them surplus goods from their warehouse like tea, biscuits, maple syrup and juice, which Boho Gelato then uses in its ice cream. They also use ingredients from local restaurants to create signature flavours. Take a stroll along the beach afterwards.

There are now 10 Morelli's ice-cream parlours in locations around the world from Kuwait to Dallas, but the original - and we say the best - can be found in Broadstairs, in Kent. Opened in 1932, this parlour takes customers back to the 20th century, with its soda fountain, juke box, formica tops and pink leatherette booths. Flavours include caramel, wildberry (made using blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and wild strawberries) and pistachio with nuts from a small village in Sicily.

LONDON

Scoop

With three branches in Covent Garden, Soho and South Kensington, Scoop is making a name for itself as the finest purveyor of Italian gelato in the capital. The Telegraph's London editor, John O'Ceallaigh, says that despite the bland interiors, the shops offer intense flavours, generous portions and keen prices, with friendly staff. Ice-cream flavours include green tea, "Nocciola", with Tonda Gentile hazelnuts from Piedmont, and amaretto, and ice-cream cakes, milkshakes, and waffles are also available.

Address: three parlours in London: see the website for detailsContact: scoopgelato.comWhat to do nearby: Sophie Campbell, our London expert, has recommendations on things to do in the West End, south-west London, and moreWhere to stay nearby: Telegraph Travel's London experts have found the best places to stay in the capital. Read the reviews here.

Gelupo

Gelupo ice cream is mixed gently as it freezes to produce intense flavours and a smooth finish, with the emphasis on fruit and density rather than fat for flavour, meaning that the resulting product is less sinful than other versions. The ice creams and sorbets are produced fresh every day using English and Italian ingredients.

Address: 7 Archer Street, London, W1D 7AUContact: 020 7287 5555; gelupo.comWhat to do nearby: Sophie Campbell, our London expert, has recommendations on things to do in the West EndWhere to stay nearby: One Leicester Street Hotel offers a great bar and superlative food. Read the full review here.

CENTRAL

Winstones, Cotswolds

Winstones, on lovely Rodborough Common, above Stroud, has been making ice cream since 1925. It is still family owned, and as well as its shop/parlour has a fleet of retro vans. Really piquant flavours include spiced plum; champagne and elderflower sorbet is also available.

Address: Winstones Ice Cream Ltd, Greenacres, Bowham, Stroud, Glos, England GL5 5BXContact: 01453 873270; winstonesicecream.co.ukWhat to do nearby: Harriet O'Brien, Telegraph Travel's Cotswolds expert, says that Painswick is "steeply set above the Severn Valley, its charmingly winding streets offering sudden and dramatic vistas." Read more on what to do in the Cotswolds. Where to stay nearby: St Anne's B&B offers rooms with power showers and comfortable beds. Read the full review here.

NORTH

Notarianni, Blackpool, Lancashire

This cafe and take-away shop concentrates on producing one flavour - vanilla - really, really well. Fresh whole milk from a local farm is churned and frozen daily, and the resulting product is served in myriad ways: on its own, in traditional sundaes including knickerbocker glories, and in cones including wafers including nougat, oyster delight and chocolate flavoured varieties.

Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream is a family farm-meets-adventure playground that serves Yorkshire’s most spectacular homemade ice cream to waves of devotees. At its heart is Billy-Bob’s Parlour: imagine a Fifties diner transplanted from the American Midwest to The Dales, replete with period signs, music, leather booths and even an aluminum Airstream serving coffees in the corner. Billy-Bob’s is a cathedral to the craft serving everything from cones and coke floats to the best chocolate milkshake you’ll ever taste. As well as the freezers full of standards, a changing list of adventurous flavours always demands a double scoop: liquorice and blackcurrant, Yorkshire rhubard, bubble gum, ginger crunch. Try them dipped in nuts or over waffles, all the while soaking up the most arrestingly beautiful scenery close to the famous Bolton Abbey. Best of all is that you can sneak in for seconds; the children will be far too busy in the straw-floored barns or playground rides.

The produce at G&T’s Ice Cream Parlour has so many fans, there is even a variety especially for dogs. For something a little stronger there’s a Gin and Tonic sorbet and, in season, Christmas Pudding and Mince Pie flavours. It’s found close to Fountains Abbey and Brimham Rocks and visitors can watch the ice cream being made while they wait.

One of the highlights in the pretty village of Thornton-le-Dale, close to the North Yorkshire Moors and half an hour from Scarborough on the A170, is Balderson's ice-cream parlour, where flavours include rum and raisin, apple crumble and Turkish delight. Scoops are generous and can be squashed onto a cone or crammed into a cardboard cup.

SCOTLAND

Nardini’s, Largs

This art deco building was re-opened in 2008 following a multi-million pound restoration, and comprises a cafe, restaurant, and - best of all - an ice cream parlour. The venue sees families, couples and anyone in search of sweet flavours, including Scottish tablet and peach and passionfruit cheesecake. The cafe also serves traditional Italian pastries, including Sfogliatella and Cannolo alla Crema, which are baked fresh on the premises.

This family-run business has been producing ice cream since 1908: Mr Luca Scappaticcio and his wife Anastasia arrived from Cassino, in Italy, in the 1800s. There are now two cafes: one in the upmarket Morningside district of Edinburgh, and once in the seaside town of Musselburgh. Flavours include the classsics: strawberry, "vivacious vanilla", and chocolate, and sweets such as "soor plooms" and sugar mice are also available.

WALES

Verdi’s, Mumbles, Wales

Verdi's sells up to 30 ice cream flavours a day, as well as sundaes including the "Amarena Cherry Gondola" and the "Coffee Nut Sundae", from its sea-front setting in the Victorian fishing village of Mumbles, near Swansea.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Morelli's Portstewart

On the Promenade at Portstewart, on the Causeway Coast, you’ll find Morelli’s, which, with 99s and knickerbocker glories, has been helping visitors cool off since 1911. Sundaes include the Morelli's Madness, which is a mound of seven scoops of ice cream. The cafe also sells sandwiches, pizzas, salads, and Irish beef burgers.